Federal firearms laws regulate the importation, manufacture, shipment, transfer, receipt, possession, and use of firearms. The Gun Control Act, the Arms Export Control Act, and the National Firearms Act establish the framework for federal regulation. The vast majority of defendants in Federal firearms cases are charged pursuant to the Gun Control Act, especially the subsection that makes it unlawful for a prohibited person to ship, transport, possess, or receive a firearm. Most defendants plead guilty and receive a sentence of imprisonment. Key statistics are compared for fiscal years 2008, 2007 and 2006. Statistics reported include prosecution outcomes, types of sentences, and mean sentences pursuant to each of the three firearm control acts. Judicial district data is provided for the statutory subsection that is most often the basis for a firearm charge.
Federal Firearms Cases, FY2008
NCJ Number
229420
Date Published
January 2010
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes Federal firearms cases filed and closed in fiscal year 2008.
Abstract